477 results about "Autophagy" patented technology

The present disclosure relates to methods for the modulation of autophagy and the treatment of autophagy-related diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and pancreatitis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health problem and currently, the only licensed TB vaccine is Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin (M. bovis BCG). In the present invention, mutation of mycobacterial components reportedly involved in phagosome maturation inhibition was evaluated for vaccine purposes, as such mutations should result in better vaccine antigen processing and presentation. Thus, BCG mutants in genes coding for ManLAM capping a-1,2-mannosyltransferases and the PI3P phosphatase SapM were evaluated as TB vaccines in a stringent mouse model. Vaccination with both ManLAM capping mutants and the SapM mutant resulted in significantly longer survival as compared to non-vaccinated mice, whereas vaccination with the parental BCG did not. Moreover, mice vaccinated with the SapM mutant survived significantly longer than mice vaccinated with the parental BCG.; The mutant BCG strains showed unaltered phagocytosis, replication, lysosome colocalization and oxidant activity in macrophages and similarly induced autophagy in the latter. Additionally, replication and granuloma formation in mice was unaffected, indicating BCG-equivalent safety of these vaccines.

A composition and method to mitigate plant autophagy and / or apoptosis of newly developing cells in plants grown under environmentally stressful growing conditions, such as high temperature. Exogenous application of a cytokinin, preferably kinetin, to either the roots or the foliage (i.e., flowers and leaves) of plants has been discovered to overcome, or at least substantially mitigate, autophagy when applied during or just prior to flowering. Experimental results indicate that high temperature-induced autophagy, and subsequent new cell apoptosis, is the result of a deficiency of cytokinin in the plant tissues. The application of low concentrations of potassium together with the cytokinin appears to provide a synergistic effect by amplifying the effect of the cytokinin to lessen autophagy and increase crop productivity.